Not only Delhi, 2 more cities' air quality poor post Diwali

Even as the Delhi recorded a jump in pollution levels on Monday morning after residents flouted the ban on firecrackers on Diwali night, situation in other two cities -- Kolkata and Mumbai -- has equally deteriorated.

Air quality remained 'poor' in Kolkata and its neighbourhood on Monday morning, a day after Kali Puja and Diwali, as a haze engulfed the metropolis, officials said.

Such a situation was not only caused by the bursting of firecrackers on Sunday, but also due to weather conditions during this time of the year when small particulate matters remain in the air with the presence of fog and smoke, they said.

In Kolkata, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading was 284 at Victoria Memorial, 262 at Fort William, 254 at Jadavpur, 234 at Rabindra Sarobar and 236 at Salt Lake, while it was 310 at Ghusuri in neighbouring Howrah district and 252 at Asansol in Burdwan, on Monday morning, West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) data showed.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe', the officials said.

A layer of haze enveloped Mumbai as the Air Quality Index (AQI) fell into the 'poor' category post-Diwali celebrations.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India), the overall AQI of the city was recorded at 234 which falls under the 'poor' category.

The air quality of the Borivali area stood at 307 while that of Kalanagar was recorded at 312. The AQI in Chembur was recorded at 334 and that of the Worli area was recorded at 134, as per SAFAR-India.

This comes after people engaged in heavy fireworks on Diwali nighokt. Visuals from Shivaji Park showed revellers in large numbers lighting up crackers.

Earlier this week, the overall AQI of the city stood at 149, under the 'moderate' category.

In the wake of the worsening air quality in the city, the Bombay high court had permitted the busting of firecrackers only for two hours in the country's commercial capital -- between 8 pm and 10 pm.

However, firecracker bursting till late Sunday night led to a spike in pollution levels amid low temperatures.